I am under no pressure to call off Pak. trip: PM

By Prafulla Das

BHUBANESWAR, JULY 29. The Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, today asserted that he was not under any pressure to cancel his proposed visit to Pakistan. ``There is no pressure. I don't work under pressure,'' Mr. Vajpayee said, replying to a query whether he was under pressure from the National Democratic Alliance or his own party not to visit Islamabad on the invitation of the Pakistan President, Gen. Pervez Musharraf.

``I have accepted the invitation. However, the date of my visit and the place of the meeting have not been decided yet,'' the Prime Minister told presspersons at the Raj Bhavan here after conducting an aerial survey of the flood-hit districts of Orissa.

The Prime Minister assured the Orissa Government that the Centre would heed the request of the State Government to provide additional three lakh tonnes of rice estimated to cost Rs. 210 crores to undertake Food for Work in the flood-affected areas and one lakh additional Indira Awas Yogna units estimated to cost Rs. 225 crores for rebuilding houses of those below the poverty line in the flood-affected areas.

Mr. Vajpayee landed here this afternoon after an aerial survey of the flood-hit areas. Later he reviewed the situation and the rescue and relief operations with the State Government officials, the State Governor, Mr.M.M. Rajendran, and the Chief Minister, Mr. Naveen Patnaik. Mr. Vajpayee said he would ask the Planning Commission to consider drawing up a long-term action plan for Orissa in view of the frequent natural calamities affecting developmental works in the State.

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